The Peter I. B. Lavan Award was established in 1983 through a gift from the Honorable Peter I. B. Lavan. Each year, three of the Academy's Chancellors would each choose one poet to receive the award, which carried a cash prize of $1,000 and was intended to recognize both talent and need. To be eligible for a Lavan Award a poet had to be under 40 years of age, an American citizen, and have published at least one full-length collection of poetry.

Award Winners: